I have recently come to adore Glee, in a kind of giddy, bouncy, watch-every-episode-twice way. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why I love it so much when on the face of it, it is EXACTLY the type of show I would avoid. But then, when I first heard of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I thought that was EXACTLY the type of show I would avoid too, and, erm, well…. Joss Whedon is my master now.

One of the things that appeals to me is the variety of characters on the show, each of the main characters is distinctively different and not a one of them ‘fit in’. Even the school’s ‘it couple’ don’t really fit in, one of them is pregnant and the other likes singing and dancing around (what’s gonna be wrong with that?). I guess I relate to this because I too have never ‘fit in’ with the accepted norms of probably absolutely anything. I’m not even very good at being a geek.

I was born to a working class family with delusions of middle classdom. I was brought up on Shakespeare and Dickens, as a child we used to have family readings of Shakespeare plays, and go to the theatre. I spent most of my formative years with my head in a book. The TV was on only when there was something specific to watch, not as background noise, and it was never ever used as a babysitter. However, we could not afford to live in a middle class area, amongst people who would also bring their children up in this manner, so I was thrown amongst working class children.

Not that I’m inferring this is a bad thing, I hate ‘class’ and pretty much all forms of labelling fervently, I am just illustrating how I was different from the word ‘go’. It did somehow come as a huge surprise to my parents when I picked up a Yorkshire accent and associated with people they didn’t really want me to. Huh. You want me to make public school friends; send me to public school. Ironically, even if they had had the money, I doubt very much that they would have sent me to public school.

When I was 17 we did move to a middle class area, much to my disgust. I didn’t understand these people with their neatly manicured lawns who jumped in their flash cars just to go to the local shop. I did rather enjoy their shocked, kinda scared glances at my green mohican and torn clothes though.

One thing they did give me though, is a strong sense of independence and my own individuality, I never remember being bullied, or desperately wanting to fit in with the ‘it girls’ of the day. In fact, I remember doing the exact opposite and making damn sure that I didn’t. Yes, I’m stubborn and awkward too. My ex’s word for me was often obstreperous (there were other words, but we won’t go into that here), which I think kinda fits me perfectly.

I lived through the pastel shades of the ’80’s wearing black (**looks at self**, huh, apparently the ’90’s and 00’s too), I’m a woman who hates ‘girlie’ nights with a passion and is bored to tears by shopping; a geek, who refuses to watch Star Trek or Dr. Who and doesn’t read or write fan fic; a straight girl who refuses to not also find women attractive. I continue to not ‘fit in’ and be proud. Define me if you dare!